iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I just heard the news. Midge & her family came to every show of mine since the late 2000s. She was a fan, once my "DJ" onstage to sneak into a 21+ club. She died in a car crash last week at 26. This is her band ShiSho, the fierce younger one, mean left hook. RIP "Midge" Grapel-Barnette (2000-2026)

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"999 RETURNS!" This Sat Oct 3, Syracuse NY, RetroGameCon afterparty at The Oncenter. Schäffer the Darklord and I play around 8:30 pm. Tickets: retrogamecon.com

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A piece I wrote a few years go on making the "Robot Kills" album: mclars.substack.com/p/billy-buil...

mclars.substack.com

"Billy Built a Robot..."

The making of "This Gigantic Robot Kills"

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Who's that rapping? Performing "Mr. Raven" with MC Snax at the Gathering this year.

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Ian Miles Schlong @tedcruznipples.com · 19/09/2026

They just made this the official theme song for the Federal Bureau of Investigation

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Jesus and Tupac having brunch in Reno. Then Biggie walks in. "The Last Temptation of Brunch" is a short story I wrote a while back: mclars.substack.com/p/the-last-t...

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Devastated to hear about Tim Receveur. We were just hanging out with him Sunday at Supernova. What he and April built an amazing festival and a real community. He will be missed.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Thanks Supernova Ska Festival! Awesome show, and awesome weekend!

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Karl Olson 🌻 Ultraklystron @karlrolson.com · 11/09/2026

I've seen footage (of me DJing/running video for @mclars.bsky.social playing live in Seattle earlier this week): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIiS... #nerdcore

youtube.com

MC Lars September 7, 2026 - Seattle, WA

YouTube video by ShellE Productions

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Played "Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock" at the Gathering, with MC Snax scratching actual vinyl over the chorus. I jumped off the stage and started a mosh pit. Video proof.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Played "Lars Attacks!" live at the Gathering of the Juggalos a few weeks ago... fitting because the album turned 15 this week. Thank you to everyone who came out and sang along.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

When I played the Gathering a few weeks ago, Hit Parader asked me if I would write a piece about my experience. They didn't realize I would submit an essay on anti-transcendentalism, but they posted it anyway! hitparader.com/features/edg...

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

My wife Ashley is an amazing science teacher. No pressure, but if you're able to help her stock her classroom this year, here's her Amazon wishlist. Anything helps and it goes straight to her students. Thank you! www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...

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Dude Longcouch - You fell for a jinx, for cryin' out loud @dudelongcouch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In 2011, I went to an MC Chris show. One of the openers was a guy named @mclars.bsky.social. I'd never heard of him and didn't know what to expect. My mind was blown when he started doing literary raps about Macbeth and Edgar Allan Poe. I'd never heard such a fusion of concepts before.

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KJ 💞 🏴‍☠️ @kujoe.net · 02/09/2026

MC Lars has been such a long lasting regular in my daily playlists. No matter my mood, he has a song that fits. Fave song on this album: Annabel Lee RIP

KJ posing with MC Lars near his merch booth for a photo at the end of one of his shows.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

SEATTLE! Tonight! Optimus Rhyme have reunited to perform with Beefy and me at the Barboza, with Ultraklystron DJ-ing and performing with me!

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"Lars Attacks!" came out 15 years ago this week! My third album, featuring KRS-One, Sage Francis, and Mac Lethal. What's your favorite song from it?

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Optimus Rhyme is the best live nerdcore band I've ever played with, and Monday we're sharing a stage again for the first time since our 2007 tour. Beefy joins too. Sept 7, Barboza, Seattle. Tickets: axs.com/events/1541344/mc-lars-tickets

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

How was this 16 already years ago today? Jonathan Franzen published "Freedom" on August 31, 2010. I wrote a whole rap about it for Patreon (song #135). ($4/month gets you that track, 250+ others, and two new exclusives every month.) www.patreon.com/mclars/posts...

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I heard there might be an awesome guest DJ at this thing. THAT'S RIGHT. MC LARS x ULTRAKLYSTRON SET AT THE OPTIMUS REUNION!

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Eight years married today. We met because Frontalot booked a SXSW show in 2015 and Ashley's band and mine played the same bill. Since then: two kids, nine moves, and a whole lot of boxes of merch lugged around the world. Ashley, thank you for building all of it with me. I love you.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Hosting mainstage on the final night of the Gathering with DJ Clay was ridiculous in the best way. He dropped his Star Wars remixes on a field full of Juggalos and it was a joyful highlight of the weekend.

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I. B. Loud IVXX @ibloud.xyz · 23/08/2026

Nothing says high romance like lit-hop, nerdcore, and screaming "Whoop Whoop!" over post-Gathering ringing in our ears. Who’s taking their favorite person to see MC Lars? —if they can survive rap tracks about Edgar Allan Poe on #datenight, they’re officially a keeper. 🖤🎭

mclars.com

MC Lars Shows

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Playing O+ Festival in Kingston NY on Saturday, October 10. It's a nonprofit where artists trade sets for actual healthcare, sixteen years running. This year's theme is MO+NUMENTS. Six days before the Poe LP drops. Tickets: opositivefestival.org/wristbands

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

"Poe LP" tour dates: Aug 19 - Gathering of the Juggalos Sep 07 - Barboza, Seattle Sep 13 - Supernova Ska Fest, Hampton Oct 03 - Retro Gamer Con, Syracuse Oct 04 - Poe Fest International, Baltimore Oct 10 - O+ Festival, Kingston Dec 27 - Ivy Room, Berkeley nerdcoretour.com

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

We debuted “The Black Cat Came Back” for the Juggalos last night at the Gathering. Shout out to Mike for sending us this video.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Be honest: where did you first hear about my music? Warped Tour / LimeWire / mtvU / MySpace / YouTube / a friend's burned CD / the internet just found you. Please tell me our origin story.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The FBI called Juggalos a gang, so they organized and marched on Wahsington. You cannot beat people who eat your contempt for breakfast. Turning scorn into family is the superpower of nerdcore and the Juggalo movement. Tomorrow night I play the Gathering. Aug 19, 1 am, Cyclone stage.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

"The Edgar Allan Poe LP", one year anniversary deluxe edition, is out October 16. And this Wednesday I am playing the Gathering of the Juggalos. August 19, 1 AM, Cyclone stage. A Poe rapper walking into a Juggalo field. Free field guide to the Gathering, link in bio.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Poe named a man who openly despised him as his literary executor. Two days after Poe died, that man published a fake-name obituary, wrote the official biography calling him a drug ruined madman, and forged letters to sell it.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

After "The Raven" blew up, Poe wrote an essay claiming there was no inspiration involved. He picked the ideal length first, then the emotion, then reverse engineered the poem. That is a content strategy deck in 1845. Four days until the Gathering. Free field guide in my Discord, link in bio.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

In 1848 Poe published a prose poem saying the universe began as one particle that exploded outward and has been expanding ever since. That is the Big Bang, 80 years early. Everyone assumed he had lost his mind.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Poe's thing was love that outlives death and then goes wrong. Annabel Lee, dead in her tomb, and he lies down next to her. ICP wrote "In My Room", a dead girlfriend back as a ghost. It hit TikTok. The gothic never dies, it just changes outfits. Catching me at the Gathering on Aug 19th.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Shout out to Brittany Cloud for my new strangely appropriate profile pic.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Carnival lore 3 of 6: the day Disney recalled a platinum album. The Great Milenko, June 24 1997, pulled within hours, band dropped mid promo. The recall became the promotion. I'm playing the Gathering Aug 19. Get my Field Guide to the Gathering in my Discord: discord.gg/GgYuTf7Dt

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

"The Edgar Allan Poe LP (Special One Year Anniversary Deluxe Expanded Edition)" is out October 16 through my friends at Oglio Entertainment. With Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup, Mega Ran, the Dead Milkmen, Watt White, Devereaux and more. Press and podcasts: lars [ at ] mclars [ dot ] com

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Investigative report: I asked a squirrel where he keeps his nuts. He refused to comment, which is honestly the most suspicious answer of all.

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Chaxinitus @chaxinitus.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Oh shit, no way it's a show I'm able to make, but that'll be one hell of a show if y'all are out Seattle way

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Patrick Kmiecik VO 🔜 Rhode Island Comic Con @patrickkvo.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

They are back! Autobeat Allies assemble!

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Kari, Estradiol Ascendant 🏳️‍⚧️ @transarcana.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

OMFG OPTIMUS RHYME BAY-BEE! Can I make it to this? Can I afford not to make it to this?

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Cody @codysearle.com · 01/08/2026

The worst part about seeing this post is that Angie and I had talked about doing PAX this year, so we would have been in Seattle for this show. Now I’m trying to find cheap flights so I can finally see Optimus…

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sail, body up to the clouds (Ryan) 🗺️🕹️🏳️‍🌈 @ullerrm.shitpost.nexus · 01/08/2026

Optimus Rhyme reunion? That's a must-see show, y'all.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Vault: me twenty years ago reviewing the Nettwerk artist apartment in London for its bathroom symmetry. The content instinct was always there.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

SEATTLE! Optimus Rhyme, legendary OG nerdcore live band, reuniting for the first time in over a decade, and I'm headlining, at Barboza Mon Sep 7 w/ @beefyness.com! My favorite early shows were with Optimus. Don't miss this! Doors 7PM, 21+ www.thebarboza.com/events/detai...

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

ICP's whole catalog is built on the Joker's Cards, and the first six are really six visions of judgment day. Carnival of Carnage, Ringmaster, Riddle Box, Milenko, Jeckel Brothers, the Wraith. The "MC Lars Field Guide to the Gathering" is in my Discord. Link in bio.

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

The most important person at a festival is never on the stage. At SXSW it was the guy directing parking, so I interviewed him. Respect the people who actually make the day run. The "MC Lars Field Guide to the Gathering" (set time + survival guide) is in my Discord: discord.gg/GgYuTf7Dt

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MC Lars @mclars.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Dec 1997: a stranger mailed me a prank call tape and filled the extra space with a song by two clowns from Detroit. I later rapped about aliens, robots, and ICP before I knew nerdcore had a name. One tape rerouted everything. 29 years later I'm playing the Gathering.

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